Picker stick check for looms



Dec. 1, 1959 J. M. BuDzYNA 2,915,092

PICKER STICK CHECK Fon Looms Filed sept. s. 1957 Ill-:Tg1 2 i INVENTOR.

JOSEPH M. luDzYNA` ATTORNEY United States Patent O PICKER STICK CHECK FOR LOOMS Joseph M. Budzyna, East Douglas, Mass., assignor to Dfraper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporation o Maine Application September 3, 1957, Serial No. 681,496

7 Claims. (Cl. 139-165) This invention relates, in general, to y shuttle looms and, more particularly, is directed to a novel combination of means to check and to limit the forward movement of the picker stick at the end of its picking movement, and also the rearward movement of the stick after picking to impart a checking action to the shuttle following impact with the stick as the shuttle enters the shuttle box and returns to is initial position therein.

It is the general object of the invention to improve th picking and boxing of the shuttle in looms of the abovementioned type and to arrest the picker stick and shuttle with the latter in properly boxed position and without rebound.

A more specific object is that of checking the stick, and the shuttle through the stick, by a means which shall constitute a rebound deadening stop means rather than by a more or less rigid member as has been heretofore employed.

According to the conventional practice in weaving with fly shuttle looms, the picker stick is checked in its picking and return movements by a check strap of leather or fabric, or of combinations of these with other materials, the same being provided for frictioning within a friction bracket of known type. After picking, the picker stick is returned part way to an extreme outer position by a spring means and then, when the shuttle on its return night reenters the box, it engages the picker and moves it and the stick to an extreme outer position. Theoretically, the absorption of energy by the various frictional inuences is intended to be such as to stop the parts with the stick in contact with an abutment which closes olf a stick-guiding slot in the lay end. There may be provided a thickness of leather to pad this abutment to a useful extent, but to all practical intents and purposes, it amounts to a rigid stop which will cause the stick to rebound if it reaches the abutment with any appreciable amount of residual energy in the shuttle as the latter becomes fully boxed.

According to the invention herein described at length in the following paragraphs, there is no fixed or rigid abutment against which the stick strikes, but instead, the usual endless looped lexible check strap within which the picker stick oscillates, and which is engaged and moved by the picker stick at each end of its oscillation, is supplemented by a second strap of ilexible material which surrounds and has contact for the greater portion of its length with the outside portion of the check strap. Both ends of this second strap are anchored or xed to a common plate member which is interposed between the attached end portions of the second strap and the adjacent longitudinal run of the check strap, and this plate member is capable of adjustment for frictioning the latter against the customary depending snubbing fingers of one of a pair of usual friction brackets carried at the lay end of the loom closely adjacent to the picker stick. The opposite longitudinal runs of the check strap and this second strap both pass together in a sinuous fashion between the customary depending snubbing lingers of the oppoice site friction bracket member. In accordance with this arrangement, the check strap and this second strap are frictloned simultaneously and will be retarded in unison in ootn directions through the frictioning ngers to limit positively the forward and rearward extent of travel of the stick and to check the latter at each end of its oscillation. There is further provided a third strap of flexible material having its ends anchored or fixed and of such length as to form a partial loop which is so disposed that it encompasses only the outwardly disposed end portion or loop or' the combined check strap and second strap to limit the outward movement thereof, as well as that of the stick and the boxed shuttle, so that the latter shall be arrested in that intended position it may best occupy when picked and at bobbin transfer.

The invention will be described in detail by reference to one specific embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying figures of drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of parts at the left hand end of a loom showing the invention applied thereto; and

Fig. 2 is a view to a larger scale, partly in plan and partly in section taken along line ll-ll in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, showing details of the invention.

Now referring to Fig. 1, part of a loom is shown including the left hand loomside 10, and the usual rock shaft 11 to which is clamped a sword 12 at the upper end of which is mounted in the customary manner the usual lay beam 13 of the loom. This lay beam has its left hand lay end generally indicated in the drawing by numeral 14, and slotted as at 15, Fig. 2. A parallel mechanism 16, commonly referred to as a parallel and of usual construction, is mounted upon and xed to the left hand end of the rock shaft 11; and there is supported upon this parallel a picker stick 17 having at its upper end the usual picker 18 by which a shuttle S is engaged. The picker stick 17 oscillates in the slot 15 in the usual manner. The lay beam 13 at its end is provided with the usual shuttle box (not shown) out of which the shuttle S is picked by the stick 17 and into which it is boxed upon its return ight.

The picker stick 17 is picked by the usual cam and pick ball means (not shown) which function on the stick through shaft 19, arm 20 and lug connections 21.

As may be seen in the drawing, a flexible check strap 22, of endless formation, is mounted in a bracket 23 which carries the usual front and rear pairs of depending, relatively fixed, ngers 24 and 25. Additionally, there is provided a depending nger 26 capable of adjustment on the bracket 23 to coact with both front fingers 24 and 25, and a back plate 27 of generally rectangular form and capable of adjustment toward and from the outer faces of the rear pair of fingers 24 and 25. The plate 27 has a rounded protuberance, as indicated at 27a, which engages the inner strap 22 and imparts sinuosity thereto by displacing it inwardly between the friction fingers 24 and 25 proximate thereto. The adjustment of the nger 26, and of the plate 27, is effected separately and in a conventional way, and by staggering the arrangement of the fingers to greater or lesser extent, as desired, the frictional effect on the endless strap 22 and an outer encircling strap hereinafter to be described, is likewise varied as required.

While the two sides of the lay end which extend length wise at either side of slot 15 might conceivably be left open, it is preferred for structural design reasons to tie these together by a ller piece 28 held in place by bolts 29, and positioned with sufficient clearance so that the stick should never strike against it.

A second flexible strap 30 extends around the outside of the check strap 22 in an encompassing relation thereto and has its ends anchored by a suitable bolt 31 to the plate 27. The straps 22 and 30 function as a stop means for limiting the extremes of oscillatory movement of the stick 17 and its Dicker 18 in both directions,

A third flexible strap member which is also a stop means for limiting the movement of the stick 17, picker 18 and shuttle S in a direction outwardly of the loom is provided at 33. The ends of this strap are anchored by suitable bolts 34 and 35 to the plate 27, or to any other fixed parts at that general location. The ends of this strap, or at least one end, are slotted to provide adjustment as to the strap length and thus adjustment of the end position of the stick and shuttle at both extremes of their movement in an outward direction.

The straps 22, 30 and 33, may be made of leather, fabric, compositions of rubberized fabric, and like materials. If desired, multiple straps may be used to check, but the stop strap 33 is preferably a single unit, although it may be laminated or otherwise of multiple: thickness. Preferably the two are to be of the same or similar material, but that is not essential. The checking means, however, must be one in which the entire strap 22 is first moved in one direction and then the other with each side portion sliding in and being frictioned within its retarding fingers or equivalent means. The outer strap 33 is so anchored and so disposed that it has no influence upon the straps 22 and 30 until the stick 17 has reached nearly the end of its travel toward the outermost position. Thus the checking member may function independently and with uniformity at each pick, while the stop member performs its function without causing lateral forces which tend to force the stick to the side of the slot in the lay end, thereby to set up adverse influence on the shuttle boxing and picking functions.

Parallel 16 may take other form and the picking means may be of any known type.

In operation, the stick 17 is picked and the strap 22 acts as usual to check the inward motion of the stick; a buffer at the loomside may also be utilized as is sometimes done. On the return motion first effected by a spring and heel strap as s conventional, the stick is checked by check strap 22 and is stopped in a position short of its extreme or end position. There is, of course, no effective contact with or action by the stop strap 33 at that time.

When the entering shuttle comes into the box, it engages picker 18 with considerable force and displaces stick 17 against the retarding inuence of the check straps 22 and 30 until the parts come to rest with the stop strap 33 in a taut or straightened relationship, as depicted in Fig. 2. Thus, as the picker stick 17 is moved from its innermost position, as depicted in broken outline in Fig. 2, to its outermost position as there shown in full lines upon entry of a shuttle into the box, the frictional drag produced between the check straps 22 and 30,` one being endless and the other having its ends anchored helps to maintain parallelism and also a more uniform stick retarding action. The straps 22 and 30 are frictioned not only by the friction fingers 24, 25 and 26 but also slide against or past each other in a circumferential direction as they are bodily drawn back and forth in the friction brackets as the picker stick oscillates. The throat opening longitudinally of both looped straps 22 and 30, as is usual with check straps, will be shorter than the stroke of the picker stick so that these two bands or straps will be engaged by the picker stick well before reaching the end extremities of its oscillations and thereafter be bodily drawn by the stick through the friction brackets to be frictioned thereby which retardational action is enhanced by the frictional drag exerted between the two straps as they slide past and against each other.

Only one side of the loom has been shown and described, but it is to be understood that parts are duplicated at cach side and therefore a description of one serves for the other.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a loom having a rock shaft, swords carried by said rock shaft, a lay mounted on said swords and having a slotted lay end, a parallel fixed to the rock shaft and a picker stick carried by the parallel and guided within the slot in said lay end, the combination of a checking means comprising a check strap and check strap friction brackets mounted on the lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, second flexible strap means fixed at each end surrounding and having contact for the greater portion of its length with the outside portion of said check strap, and a third ilexible strap means fixed at each end and encompassing the outer end portion of the assemblage of both the second flexible strap means and said check strap, said third ilexible strap means constituting a stop for the check strap and the picker stick as the latter is moved to its outermost position upon entry of a shuttle into the box.

2. In a loom having a rock shaft, swords carried by said rock shaft, a lay mounted on said swords and having a slotted lay end, a parallel fixed to the rock shaft and a picker stick carried by the parallel and guided within the slot in said lay end, the combination of a checking means comprising an endless type check strap and check strap friction brackets mounted on each side of the lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, second flexible strap means fixed at each end surrounding and having contact for the greater portion of its length with the outside portion of said check strap, and means to arrest the picker stick and the shuttle in a desired outermost position which comprises in addition to the check strap a third flexible stop strap having its ends anchored, said stop strap forming a partial loop encompassing the outer end portion only of the check strap to limit the movement of the latter in a direction outwardly of the loom under the inuence of the picker stick, all of said straps being formed of similar material.

3. In a loom having a rock shaft, swords carried by said rock shaft, a lay mounted on said swords and having a slotted lay end, a parallel fixed to the rock shaft, and a picker stick carried by the parallel and guided within the slot in said lay end, the combination of a checking means for the picker stick comprising a first check strap and check strap friction brackets one mounted at each side of said slotted lay end and within which brackets said check strap is frictioned, a second check strap, and means for anchoring said second check strap at one of said friction brackets, said second check strap being frictioned within the other bracket, anchoring lugs adjacent each of said brackets, a third flexible strap means having its ends attached at said lugs and encompassing the outer end loops of the rst and second check straps to constitute a stop means for those straps and the picker stick as the latter is moved to its outermost position upon entry of a shuttle into the box.

4. In a loom having a rock shaft, swords carried by said rock shaft, a lay mounted on said swords and having a slotted lay end, a parallel fixed to the rock shaft and a picker stick carried by the parallel and guided within the slot in said lay end, the combination of a checking means for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick comprising an endless type first check strap and a pair of check strap friction brackets mounted on the lay each of which having a plurality of depending fingers and an upstanding lug portion in which said fingers and lug portion of the respective brackets are situated in juxtaposition at opposite sides of the lay, second flexible strap means fixed at each end surrounding and having contat for the greater portion of its length with the outside portion of said first check strap, and means to arrest the picker stick and the shuttle in a desired outermost position which comprises in addition to the first check strap a stop strap forming a partial loop between said lug portions and having its ends anchored respectively thereto, said stop strap loop encompassing the outer end portion only of the check strap to limit the movement of the latter in a direction outwardly of the loom under the influence of the picker stick as a shuttle moves into a boxed position on the loom.

5. In a loom having a rock shaft, swords carried 'oy said rock shaft, a lay mounted on said swords and having a slotted lay end, a parallel fixed to the rock shaft and a picker stick carried by the parallel and guided within the slot in said lay end, the combination of a checking means comprising an endless type check strap and a pair of check strap friction brackets one mounted on each side of the lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, a second flexible strap means fixed at each end encompassing the first check strap and having frictional contact with the outer side faces of both end loops and a longitudinal run of said first check strap, and a third flexible strap means fixed at each end and encompassing the outer end portion of the assemblage of both the first-named iiexible strap means and said check strap, said thirdv fiexible strap means constituting a stop for the check strap and the picker stick as the latter is moved to its outermost position upon entry of a shuttle into the box, and means applied to the assemblage of said check strap and said first-named fiexible strap means for frictioning both straps simultaneously to retard their movement in said brackets.

6. In a Hy shuttle loom, the combination with a lay and an oscillating picker stick for operating a shuttle, of a picker check comprising a first check strap in the form of an elongated closed flexible loop limiting movement of said picker stick, a second check strap in the form of an endless elongated flexible loop surrounding said first strap, oppositely disposed friction finger brackets mounted on the lay end and through one of which brackets passes a longitudinal run of each of said first and second straps having a contiguous relation and in frictional engagement with the friction fingers of said bracket so as to be retarded in their movement therethrough, rigid mounting means having aixed thereto the ends of said second check strap, said mounting means being associated with the opposite friction bracket and being adjustably arranged with respect to the friction fingers thereof and engaging the other run of said first check strap to friction the latter by cooperation with said friction fingers, a

third strap in the form of a loop encompassing the outer end loops of the first and second check straps to constitute a stop means for those straps and the picker stick as the latter is moved to its outermost position upon entry of a shuttle into the box, and rigid anchoring means to which the ends of said third strap are afiixed and integral with said brackets but separate from the friction fingers thereof.

7. In a fiy shuttle loom provided with a lay having a slotted lay end, and an oscillating picker stick guided within the slot in said lay end, the combination therewith, of a checking means for the picker stick comprising two fiexible closed looped check strap members one within the other and each encircling said picker stick for limiting the movement of the latter at each end of its oscillatory movements, check strap friction bracket one mounted at each side of said slotted lay end and within which brackets both of said check strap members have bodily movement and are frictioned, the inner check strap member being in the form of an elongated endless loop having opposite longitudinal runs frictioned one within each of said brackets, the outer check strap member having a longitudinal run frictioned4 alongside that of the inner check strap within one of said brackets, means adjustable to the other friction bracket for frctioning the longitudinal run of the inner check strap member passing therethrough and having anchored thereto both ends of said outer check strap member, anchoring lugs adjacent each of said brackets, a third fiexible strap member having its ends adjustably attached at said lugs and encompassing the outer end loops of the first and second check strap members to constitute a stop means for those straps and the picker stick as the latter is moved to its outermost position upon entry of a shuttle into the box, the confronting side faces of the end loops of the inner and outer check strap members being in contact with each other and exerting a frictional drag on such check strap member in a circumferential direction to add to the retardational action of said brackets on such straps when the combined end loops thereof are engaged and moved by the picker stick at each end of each oscillation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,291,587 Howarth July 28, 1942 2,371,025 Carter Mar. 6, 1945 2,666,455 Gravitt Ian. 19, 1954 2,796,087 Moon et al June 18, 1957 

